July 21, 2017

Norwegian Announces Free Wi-Fi On All Flights

Norwegian, the low cost carrier that other airline loves to hate, has announced that Wi-Fi will be free of charge on all flights. This is a delightful surprise for Norwegian customers, considering that low-cost carriers are notorious for “nickel and diming” their customers for even the basic amenities in air travel.

Norwegian air shuttle jets already have free Wi-Fi on all inter-European routes and routes between the U.S. and the Caribbean on their Boeing 737 aircraft. This leaves only the long haul fleet of 787’s and 737 max 8’s to implement the newer Wi-Fi technology (which is already available on some of these aircraft). The airline is hoping to have their entire fleet fully equipped within one year. Once complete, Norwegian will be the first low-cost airline to offer free Wi-Fi on long haul flights.

This puts Norwegian in a slight lead in the long haul market. With its VERY competitive prices against major carriers, small perks like free Wi-Fi could be enough to persuade a passenger to fly Norwegian, rather than a mainline carrier who charges for Wi-Fi.

Norwegian is expanding at an exponential rate. The airline currently has 11 Boeing 787 long-haul aircraft and is adding an additional 27 787-9 Dreamliner’s to their fleet. Apart from its wide body aircraft, the airline is investing in new narrow body, long-range aircraft like the airbus a321LR and the Boeing 787 max 8. The airline currently has 30 orders for the airbus a321LR and 104 orders for the Boeing 787 max 8. Both aircraft are capable of long-range transcontinental travel.

Shant’s Take:

Will the Wi-Fi on Norwegian be great? Probably not, the technology is still being perfected. But at no cost to the consumer, who cares! It beats not having any Internet at all. I’m very impressed with Norwegian. Within a matter of years, they have made a tremendous impact in the airline industry. The have changed the negative image of low cost travel that airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair have tarnished. I’m very glad they are expanding operations in the US and increasing routes through airports all across the country!

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